Five soldiers dead as comrade runs amok

(REUTERS/Mohammed Ameen)

A US soldier opened fire on American forces at one of the main US bases in Baghdad today, killing five, the US military said.

"The shooter is a US soldier and he is in custody," said Marine Corps Lieutenant Tom Garnett, a US military spokesman in Iraq.

The shooting took place around 2 p.m. local time at Camp Liberty, a sprawling base located next to Baghdad airport.

A defence official in Washington said the dead were all US personnel but could not confirm that they were all military service members.

"This is certainly an unexpected and tragic event," said Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman.

Earlier this month, two US soldiers were killed by a man wearing an Iraqi Army uniform at an Iraqi military training centre in northern Iraq.

Violence has dropped sharply in Iraq, but insurgent attacks continue and a rash of major bombings has raised questions about security less than two months before US forces are due to withdraw combat troops from urban bases.

Thirteen US soldiers were killed in combat in April, including five who were killed in a single attack in the restive northern city of Mosul.